NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate has arrested Ramgopal Agarwal, former treasurer of the Congress in Chhattisgarh, in an ongoing money laundering investigation in the Rs 3,000 crore liquor scam in the state. The agency said a substantial part of the proceeds of crime, generated in cash, was delivered to Agrawal in his capacity as the then Treasurer of the Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee.Agrawal, who was lodged as an undertrial in the Central Jail, Raipur, was arrested on Tuesday and has been remanded to ED custody for seven days. He is accused of criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery and corruption in the excise administration of Chhattisgarh during 2019 to 2023.“Investigation revealed that a syndicate comprising Anil Tuteja (retd IAS), Anwar Dhebar and Arun Pati Tripathi (an Indian Telecom Service officer) orchestrated a large-scale scam in the state’s liquor trade and generated proceeds of crime of Rs 3,000 crore through illegal commission on liquor sales, unaccounted country liquor sale, commission collected from distillers and from foreign liquor companies and against the grant of FL-10A licences,” ED said.
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The agency further said that “statements recorded of the persons who handled and moved the cash have revealed that the cash was delivered, at the instance of Ramgopal Agrawal and through handlers of the syndicate, at Rajiv Bhawan, Raipur, the then office of the Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee”.Agarwal was summoned for questioning earlier, and in his statement subsequently recorded, he gave evasive replies, the agency said.
